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L. mm. APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL TREATMENT OF GAS.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. I8. 1916.

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L.BRAD'LEY. APPABA'IUS FOR ELECTRICAL TREATMENIOF GAS.

APPLICATION FILE D FEB. 18 I916. 1,325,136.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

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L. BRADLEY.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL TREATMENT OF GAS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I8

Patented Dec; 16, 191$ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. I916.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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APPABATU S FOB ELECTRICAL TREATMENT OF GAS.

Orange, in the county of Essex and State, of New Jersey, have invented anew and useful Apparatus for Electrical Treatment of Gases, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates 'to apparatus for treatment of gases byelectrical action, and particularly to apparatus of the type in whichthe gas to be treated is passed through fines or pipes in which it issubjected to the action ot'a high-tension electrical field; for example,for the separation of suspended particles from the gas by 616C tricalaction. 7

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved flue or pipeconstruction for such an apparatus, whereby considerable economies areefi'ected in cost of construction for a plant of given capacity.

Another object of the invention in connection with an apparatusrequiring a multiplicity of flues, is'to. minimize the loss of heat byradiation from such flues.

Another object of the invention is to provide for control ofdistribution of the gases throughout a treater of this kind, comprisinga multiplicity of fiues.

A further object of the invention is to prevent discharge from parts ofthe appara tus at which discharge is not desirable.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in which thegas is passed through fines, with supply means so constructed as toreduce to a minimum the height and ground space required for theapparatus.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my inventionparticularlyadapted for the precipitation of suspended particles fromgas, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional end elevation of one formof theinvention. Fig. 2 is a partly sectional side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-'-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line44 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one of the flueelements.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of one ofthe su portsfor the dischargeelectrodes.

- ig. 7 is a vertical section ottheupperv part of one of the flueelements.

Specification of Letters -Patent.

casin Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Application filed February 1a, 1916. Serial No. 79,088.

Fig. 8 is a section on line "8-8 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a partly sectional end elevation of another form of theinvention.

Fig. 10 is a partly sectional side elevation of the form shown in Fig.9.

Fig. 11 is a section on line 11 11 in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section of another form of the invention.

. Fig. 12* is a horizontal section of another modification of'the, gasdistributing means. Fig. 13 is a partly sectional side elevation ofanother form of the apparatus.

Fig. 14 is a section on' line 1414 in Fig. 13.

ig. 15 is a vertical section of a portion of end of the electrodes.

Fig. 19 is a horizontal section of another form of the flue apparatus.

Fig. 20 is a horizontal section of one of the flue elements showing amodified arran ement of the discharge electrodes.

Fig. 21 is a plan view of another form of the invention.

. Referring to Figs. 1' to 4, the apparatus comprises a header or supplychamber, 1, connected by inlet 2 to any flue or pipe conveying the gasesto be treated, and one or more flue casings 3 connected to said-headerto receive the gas therefrom and open at their upper ends either intothe outer air or into an upper header or headers in outlet chamber 4,connected to outlet pipe 5. The flue casings 3 are each subdivided intoa plurality of pipes or flues by partitions 3". Each flue casing 3 ispreferably. rectangular in cross section and the partitions 3' extend atright angles to one another and to the walls of the flue casing so as todivide 'the flue space into square or rectangular flues or passages 6.-

one of the flue elements of the form shown header 1 may embrace thevertical flue and communicate with the respective flues y openings 7'formed 1n the outer walls of such flues, This construction reedge.

duces considerably the height required for the apparatus, inasmuch asthe lower header does not add to such height. In order to provide foruniform. distribution of the gas flow to the different flues, I may, asshown in these figures, provide separate dampers or gates 7 forcontrolling the openings 7 through which the gas flows to the respectivefiues, each' gate controlling the passage of gas to one or more fiues. Abin or hopper 8 is provided below the flue casings 3 to receive thematerial collected on the walls of ,fiues *6, which serve as collectingelectrodes, or elsewhere. The walls of the flues 6 may be formed ofsheet metal plates fastened to horizontal girders 9' of a supportingframe 9 in any suitable manner, for example, by bolts 10. The upper andlower ends of said walls may project beyond said girders, and arepreferably provided with rounded beads 12 which prevent undue electricfield intensity at such parts, thereby preventing or reducing dischargefrom these parts, which are, in general, at the low tension side of theelectric conducting system,-

but which are liable to produce discharge by reason'of the edgespresented thereby.

Discharge electrodes 15 are mounted in the respective fiues 6, saidelectrodes consisting, for example, of fine wires suspended from screwsleeves which are carried by nuts 17 resting on bars 18, which aresupported by girders 19 carried by insulators 20. Said insulators arepreferably mounted in chambers 21 extending outside of the upper header4, the wall of said header being provided with openings 23 where thesegirders pass through the same. To prevent discharge between the girderand the wall of the header,

a collar 24 is secured in said opening 23,

said collar for example, being formed as a sheet metal ring with itsedges bent outwLardly and turned over to give a rounded A cylindricalthimble or sleeve 25 may also be provided around the girder 19 where itpasses through the opening 23, to give a further safeguard againstdischarge at this point. This construction enables the openings throughwhich the conductor members 19 pass, to be contracted, so that theinsulator chambers are kept as free as possible of the impuritiespresent in the gasbeing treated. Tofacilitate the mounting of the finewires 15, they may be threaded through the sleeves 16 and knotted attheir upper ends. Sleeves 16 may be provided on wires 15 where they passthe lower edges of the fines, these sleevesfbeing similar to sleeves 16but being without nuts. These sleeves act as sheaths and assist inreducing discharge at the parts where the discharge electrodes pass theupper and lower edges of the collecting electrodes. The wires 15 areheld taut or tensioned by weights 26 on their lower ends or byothersuitable means, with .known in the art (not shown).

suificient tension to hold them substantially rigid when subjected tothe action ofthe electric field or of rapidly running gases, and saidwires may be retained from lateral displacementby a retaining frame 28which maybe supported by resting on said weights 26. The retaining frame28may be held from swinging either by weighting the same, or byanchoring. it from the sides of the header 1, by suitable insulatingmeans Girders l9 and'bars 18 form a frame, which is connected toelectric circuit means for supplying'high tension current. For thispurpose the said frame may be connected by a wire 30, to the hightension source, consisting preferably of a step up trans- 1 former 33,connected to an alternating current circuit, indicated at 34: and 35, arectifier 36 being preferably included in the connection so as torectify the current. passing to the discharge electrodes. Said rectifier36 may be provided with a ground connection 37 and the metal casing ofthe apparatus, includin the flue casings 3 and the partitions 6,whichact as electrodes, may also be grounded as indicated at 38.

The apparatus above described is-designed with special reference to theprecipitation of suspended particles from gases containing the same, andfor such purpose the gases to be treated are passed through the flues 6,from the header 1, and so passing are subjected to the action of a hightension electric discharge from the discharge electrodes 15, 100 withthe result that solid or liquid particles suspended in the gas areprecipitated by the electrical action and'are collected in the bins orhoppers 8. The apparatus may, however,

be used for the electrical treatment of gases I by high tensiondischarge'in any manner, and for any purpose, whether the discharge beunidirectional or alternating. In an case, the flow of the gas throughthe different flues may be equalized by opening or. closing therespective dampers or gates 7. By rea son of a strong wind blowing pastthe apparatus, or by reason of difierence in temperature ofdifferent-parts of the apparatus or for other reasons, there may be atendency for the gas to flow more rapidly through some of the pipes thanthrough others, and this condition maybe corrected by means of thesedampers.

As shown in Figs 9 to 11, several dampers 12D For example, as showh onFigs. 9 to 11, the supply header indicated at 1 may communicate withlateral 1 10 flues and communicating through openings 63 with a chamber64 extending below and communicating with all of the flues 6, control ofdistribution being in this case obtained by varying the resistance tothe gas flow through the several openings 63 by means of V dampers 65..I have also shown in these figures distribution control -means at thetop of the flues which maybe used eitheralternatively 'or conjointlywith the above described control means, the outlet header 4 beingconnected with lateral flues. 67 ex tending between the rows of flues 6and communicating therewith through openings 68. Said opemngs 68 may besmaller than the cross sections of the respective flues to which theyare connected so as to provide a con stricted passage acting as anautomatic control device, the resistance to the gas flow beingconcentrated at these constricted passages, so that any increase in thegas velocity in any flue, relatively to the other flues, will produce anincrease'in the resistance'at the corresponding constricted passage,said resistance increasin approximately as .the square of the velocity,so that it would tend to choke any excess of gas flow and equalize theflow in all the fines, If desired, however, dampers or gates 69 may alsobe used for adjusting the constriction at openings '68. The constructionof the other parts of the apparatus may be as above described.

This feature of my invention, namely, the provision of a' relativelyconstricted passage for the gas which traverses each flue, andindependent regulation of. the amount. of constriction, if desired,isnot limited in its application to any particular shape or arrangementof fines, but is applicable to flues of any shape whatsoever, arrangedin any desired manner. Thus, in Fig. 12' an embodiment of this featureof my invention is shown, in which a header 71 is connected by lateralducts 72 to a lurality of round pipes 76 serving as the ues in which theas is treated, the discharge electrodes '74 mg suspended vertically insaid-. pipes.

Ducts 72 may serve as-constrictmg passages and may "be provided withdampers 73 whereby the amount of constriction may be varied.

By forming the collecting electrodes as uare. or rectangular-pipes, inthe manner above described, I am enabled to provide a large number ofpipes, having a very ex-- tensive electrode surface, in a compare tivelylimited space and at ex- This feature of my invention is not 'ted to anyspecific means of conducting the gas to or from the ipes .or fines.example, as shown on 13 and 14, the lower header 1' may extend whollybelow the vertical 'flues 6, whichare formed in the flue casings 3 bymeans of partition walls 3 For walls of said which extend throughvertical slots 41 in the wall plates of the flues so as to permit of tochanges of temperature.

In order to dislodge or lmock the deposits from the collectingelectrodes constituted by the walls of the flue casings 3 and thepartitions 3, hammers may be provided consist ing of levers or arms 43mounted on shafts 44 journaledin bearings 45 and provided expansion orcontraction of such plates due with operating means, consisting, forexample,'of chains 46 connected to levers 47 on said shafts. The hammerarms 43 are adapted to strike lugs or angle irons 48 on the respectiveflue casings 3.- In thisiorm of my invention a switch 49 is shown in theconnection 30 from the insulated supportmg frame member 9 to therectifier 36, one of these switches being provided for each flue casing.This allows connecting or disconnecting any section of the apparatus atwill.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 13 to 18, the dischargeelectrodes are formed as fine wires 15, supported by an insulated frameas above described, but a plurality of such wires are provided in eachflue 6, said wires being hung opposite to the respective sides or wallsof the square or rectangular pipes or flues, as shown in Figs. 13 and14, and tensioned by weights each of which may be hung on two of suchwires.

In order to conveniently supportthe retaining frame 28 for the lowerortions of the discharge electrodes, said ame may mounted on hanger bars50, shown in Fig.

'17 suspended from the insulated upper frame 18,-and extending ine'achof the four corner lines of the system, so as to extend within theset of discharge electrodes 15 in such flue, as shown in Fig. 18. Exceptfor the differences above described, the construction and operation ofthe form of the invention shown in Figs. 13 to 18 may be the sameasinthefonnshowninl igs. 1to8.

As shown in Fig. 19, the partitions may be formed as vertical plates 52formed with flanges 52" whereby they are secured to the.

and to an intermediate sheet metal plate. 53, extending outer walls 53of the flue casing parallel to said side walls. F' 20 shows a modifiedarrangement ofthe (iJSGhBF'gB electrodes 15, said electrodes beingarranged opposite the corners of the respective. lines 6,

instead of opgosite the centers of the side ues-in'Figs. 10 and 13.

the partitions are shown as removably mounted within the flue casing,being supported by guides formed as channel irons 57, within which thescreen plates 56 are mounted to slide.

While I have shown the flues of the apparatus as substantially square incross section, it will be understood that they may be of any suitablepolygonal shape, and the several faces or sides of each flue may be ofdiflerent width and disposed at any desired angles. It will beunderstood that the as to be treated may be passed through t e flueseither u wardly or downwardly, as may be desira le in any particularcase. The fiues are herein shown as vertically arranged, but they may bearranged in any desired posi tion.

l have found that in many cases it is desirable to use a singledischarge electrode formed as a single fine wire, orflexible member, ineach 'fiue or pipe constituting a collecting electroda-as shown in Figs.1 to 9; but more than one of such wires maybe used if desired.

An important advantage of the construc tion above described, wherein aflue casing is subdivided into a plurality of flues by partitions, isthat each partition serves as the wall for two adjoining flues, therebyeconomizingin material used and in cost of construction. Anotheradvantage is that the ground space required is reduced to a minimum, asthere are no open spaces wasted between the flues. A furtherimportantadvantage is that the subdivision of the flues maybe carried out to andesired extent, and may even be change at any time by changing thenumbers. of the partitions, in order to provide for more eflectiveoperation. The partitions may be arranged in any desired manner so as toprovide for any desired number or arrangement of rows of flues.

Each of the flue casings above described may be considered as a treaterunit, "com-. prising a cellular or subdivided flue system,. and inconstructingany plant these units may be set up as sections andassembled in any desiredtrelation to one another, and in any desirednumber, according to the capacity required for the plant, therebystandar'dizing the manufacture of the apparatus. This sectional unitfeature is especially advantageous in'connection with therectangulanflues described, but is applicable in connection with anyform of flues.

mamas The cellular construction of the flue unit with intersectingpartitions gives an inherent rigidity thereto which enables theunit tobe used as a structural element "Without.

' polygonal cross section having walls forming an electrode, anddischarge electrode means extending longitudinally in said flue.

.3. In a multi-flue apparatus for electrical treatment ofgases, aplurality of dues having polygonal cross section and having wallsconstitutlng an electrode, and opposing electrodes extendinglongitudinally in said flue, opposite the respective polygonal facesthereof.

4. An apparatus for electrical treatment of gases, comprising a header,a plurality of electrode dues of polygonal cross-section in contiguousrelation andan opposing electrode in each flue.

5. An apparatus for electrical treatment of gases, comprising a header,a flue casing connected thereto, a. plurality of partitions dividingsaid flue casing into a plurality of flues of polygonal cross section,said casing and partitions constituting electrode means, and dischargeelectrodes extending longitudinally in said flues.

6. An apparatus for electrical treatment of gases comprising a header, aflue casing extending therefrom, a plurality of partition walls in saidcasing to form a pluralit of fines and a discharge electrode in eac ofsaid flues.

7. An apparatus for electrical treatment of gases, comprising a header,a flue casing eiitending vertically therefrom, a plurality of partitionwalls extendin vertlcally in said casing to form a plura ity of verticalflues, and discharge electrodes extending verticallylin the respectiveflues.

8. In an apparatus for electrical treatment of gases,'a flue casing,partitions dividing the space within said casing into a plurality offines, discharge, electrodes in said dues and means for passing the gasthrou h said flues.

9. 11 an apparatus for electrical treatment of gases, .suppl and outletheaders,

a flue casing connecti to said headers, partitionsidividing the spacewithin said flue easing into separate fiues, discharge elsetrodes insaid fines and. means for passing the gas through said flues.

10. In an apparatus for electrical treat- I ment of gases, a dischargeelectrode, a 001- the discharge electrode adjacent said head.

11. In an apparatus for electrical treatment of ases, the combinationwith the discharge e ectrode system and an inclosing i casing, rovided'with an opening and an insulate conductor extending through saidopenings, and a collar mounted in said 10 opening and having its edges.formed to present rounded surfaces for minimizing discharge.

In testimon whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at

day of February, 1916. v

' LINN BRADLEY.

ashington, D. (3., this 15th 15

